1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a childproof package for active substance patches.
According to a known principle, all medicines are to be kept out of reach of children. Experience of life has shown that verbal prohibitions are insufficient to keep children away from medicines within their reach if curiosity is stronger than the prohibition. In order to find a remedy and protect children from dealing with hazardous materials, childproof locks at screw caps of containers were developed and have been used for hazardous substances for some time now.
For numerous diseases and/or for controlling bodily functions, for example, regulation of blood pressure, nicotine withdrawal, family planning, etc. the application of active substance patches has gained increasing importance in the last few years, and the further development cannot be foreseen.
For several important reasons, such patches must be kept closed from production to application by means of a suitable package that ensures absolute insulation of the patch against environmental exposure on the one hand, but also against loss of active substance, for example, by sublimation, evaporation, or diffusion of volatile active substances on the other hand, and which gives a protective outward seal to the patch.
Special packaging materials have been developed for this purpose.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,209 describes a nicotine packaging material and its production process, which consists of multiple layers and, for example, has a barrier layer for nicotine made of nitrile rubber modified with acrylonitrile-methyl-acrylate copolymer. A reinforced copolymer of about 73 to 77%-wt. of acrylonitrile and 23 to 27%-wt. of methyl acrylate mixed with about 8 to 10 parts by weight of butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers having about 70%-wt. of polymer units of butadiene derivative is proposed as preferred nicotine barrier material. The packaging material for nicotine comprises a sealing layer to produce packing bags, an aluminum foil, and a paper layer as support for a label.
So far, childproof packages for active substance patches have been formed such that the patch is packed up individually in an envelope suited to the nature of the active substance, for example, one being impermeable to the active substance, and that this package was protected from grasp of children, damage, or misuse by means of a tear-resistant wrapping. The double packing disadvantageously results in high packaging costs involving correspondingly heavy expenditure with respect to production and material.